Shiraz-Viognier (Barossa, Australia) 2003 - Yalumba

The syrah/shiraz varietal is one of my favorites. Whether grown in France or Australia, the grapes make killer wines with some real funky flavors and aroma (though I prefer Australia). Yalumba is known for making some pretty serious wines. Their Octavius is an unbelievable old vine shiraz -- though probably out of our league (i.e. price range).

This particular wine (apparently called "Baby Octavius") is a blend of 95% shiraz and 5% viognier, which is actually a white varietal. I really like this combination. Plum, honey, and vanilla are most prominent in the nose. It has a chewy and smooth feel on the palate. The viognier gives it a slight sweetness which accents the rich blackberry taste well. This wine is not very tannic, and I found that letting it breath longer than 20 minutes didn't do much for the flavors. It is ready to drink almost immediately.

I highly recommend this wine, and I am definitely excited about trying some others of this style. I know rawls recently bought d'Arenberg's shiraz-viognier blend (The Laughing Magpie), and I am waiting to see how he likes their version.